While the national spotlight has been shining brightly on Kansas since Wiggins announced he'd be taking his talents to Lawrence over North Carolina, Kentucky and Florida State, Self has done his best to keep the LeBron James generation-type player expectations out of Wiggins' head.

"He could go for 20 and 10 and disappoint everybody," Self said at KU's media day.

"All he needs to be is himself and not live up to what other people think he should be. ... I don't even know of one player I think he's like. He's just Andrew."

Once again, the Jayhawks have reloaded. Kansas had its Sweet 16 roster gutted with the loss of All-Americans Ben McLemore and Jeff Withey to the NBA. But Wiggins and his classmates — Wayne Selden Jr. and Joel Embiid the other stars — along with returning role players Naadir Tharpe and Perry Ellis give KU fans promise for a championship season.

Self might be doing his best to lower the expectations for Wiggins and one of his best teams to date, but the humble freshman isn't shy in admitting his aspirations. "We're a young team, but I know we can do a lot of damage," Wiggins said at KU's media day. "Hopefully we win the Big 12 and we will win the whole thing."

2012-13 in review: 31-6 overall (14-4, Big 12 champions), lost in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament to Michigan.

Tournament projection: No. 1 seed, automatic bid.

Coach's corner: "I think this team is different than most of the teams we've had here if not all the teams we've had here. We are as deep as we've ever been. We've had as many good players in the gym as we've ever had. And we certainly are long and can play with five or six bigs where in years' past we have been a little limited in doing so." — Self, now in his 11th season with the Jayhawks, at KU's media day.

Star watch (backcourt): The Jayhawks, without their five best players from last season, will undoubtedly rely heavily on the recruiting class. One key returner, Tharpe, will play an instrumental leadership role and could start at guard after averaging 19 minutes a game last year. Wiggins could be a 20-point, 10-rebound per game scorer, but his versatility (6-8 with a great handle) and explosiveness alone will create plenty of opportunities for others. Selden, a 6-5 wing player who can be a major impact scorer, is the likely candidate to be the No. 2 scoring threat behind Wiggins. Fellow freshmen Conner Frankamp and Brannen Greene are strong shooters who will see time early off the bench.

Star watch (frontcourt): Behind Withey, the Big 12's shot block record holder, the Jayhawks boasted one of the nation's best interior defenses. This year, Embiid will anchor the paint while 6-8 returner Ellis (5.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg) will have a revised role on this freshman-heavy roster. Self also picked up Memphis transfer Tarik Black, a 6-9 big man who averaged 8.1 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Tigers last season. He'll be eligible right away as a graduate transfer.

X-Factor: Wiggins' preseason hype has overshadowed the 7-foot Embiid, who shows waves of potential. "I think Joel has a chance to be about as talented a big guy as I've ever had," Self said.

Team strength/weakness: Depth and versatility will be strengths with this team, but inexperience could plague the Jayhawks early on. The talent will be there, yes, but the chemistry will be the ingredient for success. And for as much emphasis that has been put on the perimeter play of Wiggins and Selden, what separates this KU team comes on the interior. It's an area where they'll be beat out Big 12 challenger Oklahoma State and defend well against another foe, Baylor.

Conference outlook: How many Big 12 teams make the NCAA tournament? 3-5. Kansas and Oklahoma State, two preseason top 10 teams, are shoo-ins. Baylor has the pieces to contend in the Big 12 and should be a lock as well. Then it's difficult to decipher how the middle-of-the-pack teams will fare, both in league play and as far as their overall records. Iowa State, Oklahoma and Kansas State will be chasing and trying to compile an NCAA tournament-worthy résumé.

Tweet that speaks volume: Self has an obsession with Will Ferrell, it seems, and he's pretty solid at impersonations.

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USA TODAY Sports' Scott Gleeson counts down the 68 college basketball teams that would make the NCAA tournament if March Madness started in November. Every week day, a new team is revealed.
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